Display case



Oct. 4, 1938. T. J. PlLLlOD ET AL 2,132318 DI SPLAY CASE Filed Dec. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I E- 5.

Th0/7767-5 d P/l/faq Ferd/hand (T H Mu//er MQM Patented Oct. 4, 1938 DISPLAY CASE Thomas J. Pilliod and Ferdinand C. H. Miiller,

Swanton, Ohio, assignors to The Pilliod Cabinet Company, Swanton, Ohio Ohio, a corporation of Application December 30, 1937, Serial No. 182,480

7 Claims.

This invention relates to display cases of the type having an article supporting base or bottom portion and a protecting cover portion of resilient sheet material preferably transparent and 5 of a. cellulosic nature.

The object of the invention is the provision of an improved, simple and inexpensive display case of this character, the cover portion of which comprises a single piece of resilient sheet mate- 10 rial having opposing upstanding side walls engageable with the base and an additional pair of side walls, which bend around registering ends of said first walls and have yielding outward releasable engagement with the base induced by 15 the bending coaction therewith of the first walls.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in which- 20 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a case embodying the invention; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary sections on the lines 22, H and 4-4, respectively, in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan of a blank forming the cover portion of the case; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cover portion, with parts in the normal positions assumed by them when not engaged with a bottom section; Fig. 7 is a plan of a cover section blank slightly changed from that shown in Fig. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section of a cover formed from said modified blank and in setup position similar to thecover in Fig. 6, and

Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentary sections on the lines 9! and llll0, respectively, in Fig. 8.v

Referring to the drawings, I designates the base or article supporting section and 2 the protecting cover section of a display case embodying the invention.

The base section I, in the present instance,

40 includes a bottom 5, a rectangular side wall 6 of shallow form mounted on the bottom 5 and which, if desired, may be hinged thereto, as at I. The base section also includes an article supporting pad 8 mounted on the bottom 5 within 45 said side wall. Each side of the wall 6 has an inwardly facing, longitudinally extending groove 9 in its inner face for a purpose hereinafter described. Nothing new in itself is claimed for this base section.

50 The cover section 2 is stamped or formed into a single piece blank from resilient sheet material,

' preferably transparent and of cellulosic nature. Such blank has a body portion ill of a width substantially equal to the distance between two op- 55 posing sides of the base wall 6 and of a length greater than the space between the other two opposing sides of said wall.

The opposite side edges of the body part ill are provided with substantially duplicate wings 00 II which, when bent down at substantially a right angle to the part i0, form the side walls of the tops of the cover section 2. The ends of these wings extend outwardly and downwardly preferably in curved form, as at I2, with the length of the outer edge portion of each wing corresponding to the length of the inner side face of the respective side of the base wall 6, and with the length of the inner edge portions of the wings somewhat shorter than said wall faces, as shown. The lines of bend of the wings II on the body part 4 are indicated at l3 in Fig. 5.

The ends of the cover section 2 are formed by the end portions I4 of the body part l0, which portions project beyond the-points of connection of the wings H with the body part, the inner ends of said portions l4 being defined by the dotted lines L5 in Fig. 5.

Each end portion I4 is made slightly wider than the width of the body part In disposed between the bend lines l3 by the provision of a narrow extension I6 at each end of said portion. When the side wings i I are in set-up position, the extensions IB extend across the ends l2 of the respective wings, so that when the end pertions 14 are bent down to form the end walls of the cover section, the extensions i6 thereof will engage and bend around the curved ends .of the wings, as shown. This causes the ends of the cover section when thus bent to substantially assume the shape of the wing ends.

The outer longitudinal edge of each side wing Ii and of each end portion i4 is provided with an outstanding lip flange l8 which, when the top section 2 is in set-up form with the outer edges of said wings and of the end portions l4 projected into the top opening formed by the base wall 6, will enter the registering grooves 9 in the side walls 6 and will retain the base and cover sections in assembled relation. The outer ends of the extension 16 are cut away, as at H, to permit the insertion of the outer end edges of the portions 14 into the base wall opening.

The cover section 2, when formed for assembly with the base section, has its side wings H extending downward from the body part I0 normally at an outward incline thereto, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the end portions I 4 normally extend in substantially the plane of the body part, as shown in Fig. 6. The resiliency of the material normally retains the parts in these positions. The cover section, when assembled with the base, has its side wings ll pressed inward from normal position to permit insertion into the base wall opening and the resiliency of the material causes an outward springing of said wings to yieldingly hold their lip flanges l8 interengaged with the respective wall grooves 9. When the side wings have been thus engaged with the base, the end portions H are bent around the curved ends 12 of the sides II and inserted into the base wall opening to permit their edge lips l8 to enter the registering grooves 9. This engagement of the end portions H with the base wall is normally maintained by the tendency of such portions to spring out to position, may stand within the side edges of the body part l0, so that the end portions M, without extensions, may be bent around the ends of such wings, a fold connecting part 20 is provided between the body part and inner edges of the wings and are adapted to be doubled back under the respective edges of the body part .to position the wings in inwardly spaced relation tofsuch edges,

as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

It is apparent that the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive construction of article display case, the cover member of which is made of a single piece of resilient material which, when in set-up assembled engagement with the base section, is normally held in such engagement by the inherent resiliency of the material.

We wish it understood that our invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spiirt of the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In an article display case, a base section having inwardly facing walls, and a cover section of resilient sheet material having a top body part, side wings projecting downward therefrom with extended ends and end portions projecting down and around the adjacent extended ends of the side wings in engagement therewith, said wings and end portions being inserted into the base portion and normally in outward interlocking engagement with its walls by reason of the inherent resiliency of the material.

2. In an article display case, a base section having an open top, and a cover section of single piece resilient sheet material and having a top body part with side wings depending from opp'osite side edges and normally sprung outward from right angular relation to the top part, said side wings having extended ends, said top part also having end portions extending outwardly therefrom and being sprung down around the projecting ends of the side wings in engagement therewith, said side wings and end portions having their free edges projected into the top opening of the base section and having releasable interlocking engagement therewith which is normally maintained by the resiilency of the material.

3. In an article display case, a base section having side and end walls with inwardly facing grooves, and a cover section of single piece resilient sheet material of a cellulosic nature, said cover section having a top body part with opposed dependent side wings of greater length than said body part and having outwardly and downwardly curved ends, said body part also having end portions with their sides extending over the ends of said side wings and being sprung downward around the side wing ends in engagement therewith whereby the cover ends assume the shape of the side wing extensions, the free edges of said wings and end portions being insertable into the base section at the inner sides of respective side walls thereof and having lip flanges yieldingly held in interengagement with the respective wall grooves by the outward springing tendency of said wings and end portions.

4. In a display case, a base section having upstanding side and end walls, and a single piece cover section of cellulosic sheet material having a top body, depending wings at the opposed sides of said part doubled a distance under and extending downward from the respective side of said part in inwardly spaced relation to its edge, the ends of said wings extending outwardly and downwardly from the ends of the body part, said body part also having end extensions adapted to be sprung around the adjacent end edges of the side wings in lapping engagement therewith and inserted, with the wings at their free edges into the base part within its side wall and having outward springing engagement with the side wall to retain the members in assembled relation.

5. In 'a display case, a cover section comprising a single piece of resilient sheet material having a substantially flat body part of rectangular form, wings projecting downward from opposite sides of said body part to form cover sides and normally sprung outward a distance from right angular relation to said part, the ends of said wings extending beyond the respective ends of the body part, extensions on the ends of said body part normally sprung outward from the adjacent ends of said wings and bendable therearound to form cover ends, and a base section for engaging the lower edges of said wings and end extensions and retaining them in set-up relation.

6. In an article display case, a top section of resilient transparent sheet material comprising a body part with side wings projecting downwardly from opposite side edges thereof and an end portion projecting from at least one end thereof, said side wings being extended at at least one end thereof to form supports downwardly and around which said end portion is bent, said end portion being of a length to extend substantially to the lower edges of the extended ends of said side wings, and means engaging said wings and end portion adjacent to their lower edges to retain them in set-up relation.

'7. In a display case, a. cover section comprising a single piece of resilient sheet material having a substantially flat body part of rectangular form, wings projecting downward from opposite sides of said body part to form cover sides and normally sprung outward a distance from right angular relation to said part, the ends of said wings at one end at least of the body part extending beyond the respective ends of the body part, extensions on the ends of said body part normally sprung outward from the adjacent ends of said wings and bendable downwardly therearound to form cover ends, and means engaging the lower 

